Electric switch



W. E. ANDREE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 1916.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920,

"UNITED STATES PATENT" omnon.

WILLIAM E. ANDREE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICANLAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRIC Specification of Letters Patent.

SWITCH.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Original applicationfiled June '7, 1916, Serial No. 102,296. Divided andthis application f led June 29, 1916.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'WILLIAM E. ANDRiin, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric switches, and more particularly toswitches for controlling machine motors and operated in turn by themachine itself.

The objects of the invention are to provide, a Simple form of switchwhose parts are readily accessible for repair or replacement and are notliable to get out of order; one which has the necessary parts forcompleting and breaking one or more circuits to produce the desiredoperations in proper sequence of the device which it controls, such as amotor or the machine operated thereby; one which produces a quick makeand breakand thereby avoids the dangers of arcing; and finally a switchwhich can be operated or controlled by a plurality of movable membersand which will either make or break the circuit by movement of theproper part or parts in either of two directions.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Figure1 is an elevation partly broken out and in section on the line 11 Fig.2, showing the switch in one of its open positions; and Fig. 2 is asimilar view from the right and on the section line 22 Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the switch shown comprises a suitable hollowcasing 1, which can be made in one or a plurality of parts bolted orotherwise secured. together, and whose bottom 2 is provided with adepending sleeve like boss 3 which may be attached to a bracket or otherpart 4 firmly secured to any suitable part 5 of the ma chine and forminga support for the switch mechanism.

Slidably mounted in the bore of the boss 3 is a switch tube 6,preferably of metal, and which is also preferably held against rotationin said boss, as by the key or spline 7. Said tube has upper and lowerkeeper pressed keeper member 10 and Which,when

engaged in either of the notches 8, holds the tube stationary. Thenotches and keeperhead are beveled or inclined as shown so that when thetube is moved longitudinallyin either direction the yielding head isforced back and springs into the other keeper notch when it comesopposite said head.

The lower end of the tube 6 is bored to form a recess 11. Its upper endis provided with a threaded extension 12 screwed into the lower end ofan insulating switch tube 13, which may be made of hardrrubber, fiber,or a composition material. The upper end of said insulating tube is alsoprovided with a counterbored recess 14:.

In the recesses 11 and 1.4 are located spiral compression springs 15,both surrounding a central switch operating rod 16,.sliding in the boreof the tubes 6 and 18, said springs at their inner ends bearing againstthe bottoms of the recesses and at their outer ends against nuts 17screwed on the upper and lower ends of the rod 16. Said nuts are oflarger diameter than the recesses 11 and 14:, so that when the rod 16 ismoved endwise in one direction or the other said nuts engage the ends ofthe tube structure and cause apositive endwise movement thereof, as willappear.

Rod 16 is reciprocated longitudinally in any suitable manner, and forthis purpose the drawings show the lower end of said rod provided withan operating head 18 having an elongated transverse slot 19 to receive acrank pin 20 eccentrioally disposed upon the face of a crank disk 21rotated by a shaft 22. As said shaft is rotated the crank pin 20 travelsaround the axis of said shaft moving in a circular path, as shown by thedotted lines Fig. 1, and sliding back and forth in the slot 19.

The yielding tube 13 forms a support for one or a plurality of bridgemembers 23, three being shown, which are metal plates or segments sunkinto the periphery of the tube at various points on its circumferenceand extending longitudinally thereof. These segments cooperate withpairs of separated contacts 24, suitably insulated from each other, andcarried by a sleeve 25 surrounding and sliding longitudinally upon thetube 13. Each segment 23 is long enough to bridge the gap between thetwo contacts 24: of a pair which are located in longitudinal alinementwith each other, and which, it will be understood, are connected to thelead wires of an electric circuit, say to the circuit of a motor foroperating the machine which the switch controls, one of the elements ofsaid machine being the shaft 22 before referred to.

The sleeve 25 is provided with a recess to receive a pin or projection26 upon a head 27 adjustably secured, as by the set screw 28, to anoperating rod 29, whose axis is parallel with the axis of the rod 16,and which is slidable vertically and guided in openings in the roof andfioor of the case 1. Said rod may be reciprocated in any suitablemanner, such as by suitable connection to one arm of a lever 30 operatedby the machine and pivoted at 31 thereon. The rod 29 is also providedwith longitudinally spaced keeper notches 32, similar to the notches 9and likewise cooperating with a spring pressed keeper pin 33 mounted ina boss on the upper portion of the casing.

The switch described operates as follows:

Let it be assumed that one or more of the pairs of contacts 24: areconnected in the circuits of the motor for driving the machine. In theposition of the parts shown in the drawings rod 16 is in its upperposition and rod 29 in its lower position so that only the upper ones ofthe contacts 24. are against the bridges 23. The motor circuits aretherefore broken. To start the machine lever 30 is swung about its pivotin the clockwise direction, Fig. 1, which raises the rod 29 until thepin 33 springs into the lower keeper notch 32, in which position allcircuits to the motor are closed and said motor and the machine begin tooperate. At the proper time in the cycle of operations of the machineshaft 22 is rotated by the machine and when it has turned through 180,or to the position of pin 20 shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, has moved therod 16 downwardly to its lower position. The first effect of thismovement is to com-press the upper spring 15, but as soon as thepressure of said spring is sufficient to overcome the friction of thekeeper pin 9 said pin is forced back and the switch tube movesdownwardly with a quick snap action, thereby opening the circuitsuddenly and avoiding any danger' from arcing. The machine thereuponstops with both of the rods 10 and 29 moved to the positions opposite tothose shown in the drawings. Lever 30 is then swung in the oppositedirection to move the rod 29 downwardly, or to the position shown inFig. 2, which again closes the circuits through the contacts and startsthe motor. At the proper point in the cycle of operations the shaft 22is again rotated through 180, moving to the position shown in full linesFig. 1. The first eifect of this motion is to compress the lower spring15 subsequently to produce a sudden upward snapping movement of theswitch tube to again open the circuits, as before, which completes onecycle of operations.

The switch described is of simple construction and is adapted for use onany type of machine whose cycle of operations requires the motor to stopand start twice. The particular form shown in the drawings has beendesigned for use with power operated garment presses, although notlimited to use with this type of machine, the particular garment pressreferred to being fully shown and described in my prior application forgarment press, filed June 7 1916, Serial No. 102,296, and of which thisapplication is a division.

What I claim is 1. An electric switch,comprising two members, one ofwhich carries two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge adapted tospan said contacts, both of said members being reciprocable, the rangesof movement of said members overlapping each other, whereby movement ofeither member through its range opens or closes the switch.

2. An electric switch, comprising two members, one of which carries twocontacts and the other a cooperating bridge, both of said members beingreciprocable, the ranges of movement of said members overlapping eachother, whereby movement of either member through its range opens orcloses the switch, and means for preventing rotative movement of bothmembers.

3. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating telescoping members,one carrying two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge, both ofsaid members being reciprocable along their common axis, their ranges ofmovement being equal and overlapping each other, whereby movement ofeither member through its range opens or closes the switch.

4. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating telescoping members,one carrying two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge, theirranges of movement being equal and overlapping each other, wherebymovement of either member through its range opens or closes the switch,and means for preventing relative rotation of said members around theiraxis.

5. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating members, both ofwhichare reciprocable along a line, one of said members carrying two contactsspaced apart along said line, and the other carrying 'a CO-. operatingbridge extending along said line and adapted to span said contacts, theranges of movement of said members overlapping each other, wherebymovement of either member through its range opens 01' closes the switch.

6. An electric switch, comprising two telescoping members, both of whichare recipit rocable along a line, one of said members carrying twocontacts and the other carrying a cooperating bridge, a reciprocatingoperating device for one of said members, and a yielding lost motionconnection in both directions between said device and the memberoperated thereby.

7. An electric switch, comprising two telescoping members, one of saidmembers carrying two contacts and the other carrying 5 a cooperatingbridge, a reciprocatin operating device for one of said mem ers, ayielding lost motion connection in both directions between saiddeviceand the member operated thereby, and yielding means tending tohold said last named member in either of two positions at opposite endsof its range of movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. ANDREE. Witnesses:

S. JENSEN, C. H. MATHISON.

